be just

Israel kills 15 in Gaza then tries to shift blame to Hamas | The Electronic Intifada Quoting from Haaretz : “In response to the ongoing rocket fire, an IDF spokesperson stated that the military will not tolerate any attempt at harming Israeli civilians or soldiers, and will continue to “act with determination and strength against any source of terror.” The spokesperson also claimed that Hamas must be “held responsible” for the ongoing attacks.” Israel is quickly trying to shift the blame for the war crimes it is committing in Gaza to Hamas. Suddenly those firing rockets (after 10 were killed for no reason last night, now 15) are the bad guys and Israel is the good guy doing self defense in this equation.

Arms industry promoter latest recruit for UK Israel lobby | The Electronic Intifada What is the next career move for a promoter of the arms industry? Join the Israel lobby, it seems. Over the past few days, I have been writing about how the Britain Israel Communications and Research Center ( BICOM ) has indicted war criminal Michael Herzog on its staff . Herzog’s newest colleague at the center is Luke Akehurst , until recently a “defense” specialist with the public relations giant Weber Shandwick. Enticing Akehurst to work for her is quite a coup for Lorna Fitzsimons , BICOM ’s chief executive. He was named “ UK consultant of the year” at the 2008 Public Affairs News Awards. The prize was in recognition for his invaluable services for several companies that arm dictators. Libya connection Finmeccanica, one of his clients, cultivated strong links with Muammar Gaddafi lately. While it has predicted that its revenues for 2011 will exceed €18 billion, the civil war in Libya will i...

Young Americans flock to Israel to join army Hundreds of new immigrants from the U.S. landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Tuesday. An unprecedented 104 of the 360 new arrivals, came to enlist in the Israeli army. Brig. Gen. Eli Shermeister, the Chief Education Officer, was among a delegation of officials on hand to greet the 18 to 22 year olds. "It's an honor to have you join the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the Israeli nation," the Brig. Gen. said. "There are no words to describe my appreciation for you, your courage and the Zionistic values you hold. The State of Israel is coping with security threats every day and defending its security is the main goal of the IDF." The Chief Education Officer told the new immigrants he is proud that the IDF "is an army that focuses on educating the youth and building Israeli society. Those of you who will soon be soldiers, I promise you: there is a special place for every single one of you...

Shiite cleric: Gulf ignores Bahrain's reform cries - Yahoo! News MANAMA, Bahrain – A senior Shiite cleric in Bahrain says Sunni Gulf leaders are showing double standards by supporting Arab uprisings elsewhere while aiding Bahrain's crackdown on its pro-reform protests. Sheik Isa Qassim says Shiite-led calls for greater rights in Bahrain are being ignored by Gulf neighbors that have backed other revolts, such as those in Syria and Libya. Qassim's Friday sermon did not cite specific countries, but Saudi Arabia leads a Gulf military force supporting Bahrain's Sunni rulers. Last week, Saudi Arabia strongly denounced Syrian President Bashar Assad for trying to crush protesters. Qatar, meanwhile, has led Gulf aid to Libyan rebels. Bahrain's majority Shiites began protests in February inspired by other Arab uprisings.

BBC News - South Sudan attacks 'leave 500 dead' At least 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the eastern state of Jonglei, according to the South Sudanese authorities. A senior official told the BBC hundreds of people had been wounded and more than 200 abducted, mainly children. The clashes took place on Thursday when members of the Murle group are said to have attacked the majority Lou Nuer, stealing nearly 40,000 cattle.

Israel launches strikes on Gaza after attacks - Middle East - Al Jazeera English An Israeli air strike on the Gaza town of Rafah has killed six people, Palestinian medics and news agencies said, just hours after a series of deadly attacks in southern Israel. Israeli military sources confirmed on Thursday that air strikes were carried out in Gaza shortly after the attacks in Israel that killed at least seven people. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem Cal Perry reported that another attack occurred later on Thursday in southern Israel, even after the Israeli military unleashed its air strikes.

Two Killed as Israeli Warplanes Bomb Gaza Strip -- News from Antiwar.com Israeli warplanes launched at least five air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people and wounding several others . The slain were both termed “militants” by Israeli reports, but at least one of the wounded was a five year old child.